Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-03-30

haphazard way under the direction Of
the rector. They finally made so much
noise one day with the discs belonging
to Volta battery that the professor of
rhetoric, who had his class in the next
hall. sent in to complain of the noise.
The rector of physics dismissed the
messenger with this magnificent re-
Spouse: Return to your master and
tell him that we are here to study the
laws of nature, and that we leave him
full liberty to do whatever he pleases
with the laws of rhetoric"
M. Simon says that this is not an un-
fair description of the manner in which
physics and chemistry were taught in
the College of Vannes. In the other
classes the scholars learned neither lit
erature, nor the art of writing, nor the
pure art applied to science, nor history,
nor geography, nor philosophy; but
they were instructed in Latin in a SUI
perior manner. They were not only
made to read and write it, but to talk
it. The principal of the college never
used any other language than Latin in
his official communications with the
scholars. He did not say: There will
be half holiday this afternoon. but,
"Vacabunt schol1 serotinis horis totis.
This principal was little man with
face like russell apple, wearing the
wig and knee-breeches of revolutionary
days, long. snuff-colored cloth coat,
which dragged about his heels, and a
huge satin waistcoat 1t was not often,
remarks M. Simon, that he issued his
vdcabunt scholg.
Every anecdote and detail given by
M. Simon leaves upon ones mind the
impression that tho school must have
been dreadfully barren place. The
scholars were divided into Romans
and Carthaginians-the Romans sitting
on the right, the Carthaginians on the
left. The grand censor presided when
the regent was not there. He made
the Romans recitc their lessons to the
Carthaginians of the corresponding
grade in the school, and vice versa.
The concentrations, or the non salts
tecttS, were very numerous. Some
times there were contests, Roman and
Carthaginian reading against. each
other; and when the trial was over the
grand censor solemnly stuck up two
placards, which were either "Romani
victores ct Carthagini victi," or Scar
thagtni victores CT Romani Uicti," as the
case might be-" "You can judge" says
M. Simon, "of all the rest by this SIM
pie case. l do not wish to bore
you with too many details of
the method which came down
straight from the Jesuits. l should
have small desire to see this
method of teaching resuscitatcd. After
one year of logic, which you modern
people call the year of philosophy, we
found it great difficulty in being re-
ceived as bachelors. l have known
'emperors' Gas the scholars of distinc-
ton were called in the jargon of the
schooD come back plucked at the
Academy of Rennes, where we were
looked upon as people who had been
asleep for century, and have even
thought with smile that my first in
struction was exactly as If I had taken
it one hundred and fifty years ago.
The first discovery that made when l
entered the Normal School was that /
knew nothing but Latin"
Perhaps M. Simon has made in these,
his ripper and later years. another dis
covery, which is that if he and the men
of his generation could have had an
education such as they could have to-
day, France would have gone forward
one hundred times as rapidly on that
path of progress into which it was SC
anxious to get, and where it was SO
anxious to continue its pilgrimage
Edward King, IN ~ Y. Post.